The Moment- 2
“You what?!”
“Cheryl! Come on, I have done him a great favour by not referring him to the police already! According to the law, I’m supposed to, in addition to expelling Jason, refer him to the police for… for what he has done to you!”
“…”
“Just stay at home until I get back, ok?”
“Whatever, dad, whatever.”
Cheryl’s dad sighed as he put down the phone. Ever since his vice-principal had stumbled upon Jason and his daughter- both very much naked- in a classroom together and reported the matter, Cheryl’s dad had come under much pressure from the school’s Board of Directors; although the common thing was to expel the parties involved and get the police to conduct a thorough investigation, the Board of Directors weren’t senile despite their age. They knew that if matters get blown out of proportion, it could be detrimental for the school’s reputation- this could, in turn, lead to lower student enrolments. As such, Cheryl’s dad, being the school’s principal, acted as he should. He had gone according to his school’s rules and regulations and expelled Jason, although he hadn’t gone so far as to make an official police investigation. After all, Cheryl is still his daughter.
What happened to that sweet, angelic little girl that I once knew…?
Cheryl muttered a swear word as she shoved her handphone into her imitation handbag- bought at Bugis Village for a mere $23- furiously. She tried dialing Jason’s handphone number; the line was engaged. “God-damn it. Where on earth is he?” she thought, as she reached his voicemail for the umpteenth time. As Cheryl looked at the neo-print that she took with Jason, an idea struck in her mind. Snapping her handbag shut, she rushed out of her Sixth Avenue terrace house.
Love. It makes even the most intelligent person, the cleverest and smartest person on Earth, dumb sometimes.
The arcade at the basement level of the Bugis Junction shopping complex wasn’t too crowded at that time of the day- it was only in the early hours of the afternoon, and most school students weren’t allowed entry yet. Cheryl looked around for her blonde haired, roguish-looking, cigarette-smoking boyfriend; she spotted him almost immediately. He was shooting hoops at the basketball machine- and missing the target for most of his shots.
“Darling.” She called out. Perhaps it was the din in the arcade that was too noisy for him to hear. Or maybe Jason was pretending not to hear her. Either way, he ignored Cheryl. She sighed, and walked over beside him.
“Darling. Darling!” she shouted, pulling at his uniform, which was, by now, tucked out in the most untidy fashion. His bag was strewn without much care, on the floor beside him. A half-empty pack of cigarettes was placed on the basketball machine, his anime-designed lighter placed beside it. He ignored her continuous tugging, and continued throwing the basketballs, each shot getting further and further away from the hoop that he was supposed to be aiming at. Cheryl didn’t stop at her relentless tugging.
What happens when you find out that you stand to lose every thing in the name of love?
Jason stood in front of the basketball machine, not moving, even as the machine flashed the words ‘Game Over’ repeatedly. Without warning, he turned abruptly sideways, and hugged Cheryl tightly.
“Cheryl!” he muttered, as he teared openly.
“Darling…” she whispered, patting her boyfriend softly on his shoulder. Despite his rough looking exterior, Cheryl knew that Jason, like all the other sixteen year olds his age, was just a softie beneath his tough exterior.
Sometimes, it just takes a little bit of TLC to iron out everything.
Labels: The Moment
